The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 52

Qin Shu's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled when the Empress Dowager gently leaned on his shoulder. (For more text, please search on Baidu.)

"Since Your Majesty doesn't like this flower, shall we remove it?" He himself felt that wearing such a large red silk flower on his chest was truly unsightly, but the two insisted he wear it, otherwise it wouldn't look right. Originally, without a witness, without a wedding procession, and without guests, it hardly resembled a wedding. Qin Shu felt he was wronging the Empress, and worried that she would blame him for acting on his own, so he tried his best to do it perfectly and wore it.

He was holding Liu Qingtang's red dress in one hand and supporting her shoulder with the other. Not hearing her speak, he turned his head to look at her expression.

"Don't look!" Liu Qingtang's voice was a little hoarse as she turned Qin Shu's face away.

Qin Shu saw the fleeting glint of tears in her eyes, and upon hearing her voice, he understood immediately. He obediently looked away, but tightened his grip on her arm. After a while, he whispered, "I'm sorry, I can only give you such a mediocre wedding. I'm sorry."

"No, this is fine." Liu Qingtang's gentle voice rang out in the night, touching Qin Shu's heart and making him want to hold her even tighter. In truth, for Qin Shu, being able to hold her like this already made him feel incredibly happy; it was a blessing from a past life.

Liu Qingtang composed herself, took a step back, and placed her hand on Qin Shu's shoulder, carefully examining him. Her eyes immediately curved into crescent moons. Her smile deepened, even revealing shallow dimples on her cheeks.

"Qin Shu, did those two guys, Tao Ye and Zhui Yi, tell me that they look even younger in red?" Qin Shu has grown taller these days, now more than half a head taller than her. Plus, he's usually quiet and doesn't talk much, so he usually looks quite mature. But once he changes out of those dark-colored clothes and puts on this bright red, he actually looks like a teenager, truly embodying what someone his age should look like.

It's good, but it looks even smaller, which always makes her feel like she's ruining her young son.

Qin Shu still remembered that at the lantern festival, the empress was unhappy that he was so young. He was startled and unconsciously tugged at his red clothes.

Liu Qingtang had already guessed his thoughts pretty accurately. Just by looking at his actions, she knew what he was thinking. But for some reason, seeing Qin Shu always going along with her, she couldn't help but want to tease him. So she moved closer to Qin Shu and said in a rather troubled tone, "Looking at you like this, I'm almost treating you like a younger brother. Hmm, let me think about it, how about calling you 'Little Guy' instead of Qin Shu?"

The first time they met, the Empress called him "little guy." Every man, even those who are impotent, always wants to appear tall and reliable in the Empress's eyes. So, upon hearing Liu Qingtang's words, Qin Shu felt a pang of resentment, experiencing a taste of frustration, wishing he could grow five or six years older immediately so the Empress would think he was mature and reliable.

"Wanting to grow up right away? Only a child who hasn't grown up would have such thoughts~" Liu Qingtang had been watching Qin Shu's expression carefully, and when she saw this, she slowly added a sentence.

Qin Shu was startled when his thoughts were guessed. He looked at the Empress Dowager's faintly smug expression with surprise, and then felt even more uncomfortable because of the meaning in her words. However, he didn't know what to do. He could only tentatively reach out and take Liu Qingtang's hand, looking at her with a pleading look.

It's a wonder that Qin Shu, usually so gloomy, was forced to make such a puppy-dog expression, as if afraid she really didn't like him anymore. Liu Qingtang's heart softened at his gaze, and she couldn't help but hesitate, thinking that perhaps she shouldn't tease him on purpose.

"Master... Qingtang." Qin Shu tightened his grip on her hand, holding it tightly.

Liu Qingtang surrendered, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Alright, alright, enough joking around. Qin Shu looks great like this~"

Qin Shu's expression relaxed, and Liu Qingtang added, "He's a handsome young man~"

Qin Shu probably knew that the Empress Dowager wasn't sincere in her words, but rather just teasing him. If things continued like this, he would probably be speechless again in the end, so he tried to change the subject by holding up the red dress and bringing it close to Liu Qingtang's eyes.

"Would you like to wear it?"

"Of course, how can a bride not wear a wedding dress at the wedding?" Liu Qingtang blinked and smiled, but as soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to hear a sound. It was the rumbling sound a stomach makes when it's hungry. Of course, it couldn't be hers, so it could only be…

Liu Qingtang squatted down, leaned against Qin Shu's waist and listened for a while, then looked up with a smile and said, "Qin Shu, are you hungry? Haven't you had dinner?"

Qin Shu was filled with embarrassment, trying hard not to back away, and nodded almost imperceptibly upon hearing this. Actually, he hadn't eaten lunch either. He was so nervous at the time that he hadn't thought about eating at all. As a result, he was hungry and the Empress had heard him. Really... how could he lose his composure like this? Why is it that he always loses his composure in front of her?

As soon as Liu Qingtang straightened up, Qin Shu immediately clutched his stomach somewhat awkwardly, lowered his eyes, and said softly, "Actually, I'm not that hungry... It's okay..." He had often gone hungry as a child, and he could endure many times more discomfort than this. He wouldn't normally get hungry so easily, but these days, with the Empress watching over his meals and making him eat a lot at each meal, he had gotten used to it and felt uncomfortable if he didn't eat on time.

Seeing Qin Shu looking like he'd done something wrong, his head bowed unconsciously, Liu Qingtang suddenly felt she'd bullied him. She touched her nose, leaned close to Qin Shu's eyes, and kissed his pursed red lips, comforting him, "If you're hungry, you're hungry. It's not a big deal. Don't be so shy. How about this, I'll make you some noodles?"

Noodles? Qin Shu thought of the noodles the Empress Dowager had made for him on the Lantern Festival last time. The taste wasn't exactly delicious, but because she made them herself, they were more precious and flavorful than any delicacy. However, he clearly wanted to give the Empress Dowager a wedding, so asking her to cook noodles for him in the kitchen now just didn't seem right.

"How about we go get some snacks?" Qin Shu suggested.

"Although I can't cook anything else, I can still make noodles. Let's go." Liu Qingtang didn't listen to him at all and walked towards the kitchen, seemingly in high spirits.

Qin Shu quickly caught up with her, "This wedding dress..."

"We'll deal with this after we've eaten." Liu Qingtang turned and gave him a smile, then led him through the corridor adorned with red lanterns and red silk. So, instead of the two of them, dressed in red, enjoying the flowers and the moon in a poetic and picturesque setting, the Empress Dowager and Chief Eunuch Qin were busy in the kitchen.

Liu Qingtang entered the kitchen and began rummaging through everything. In the dark, she knocked over some things, but luckily, the servants in the area had been distracted by Tao Ye and Zhuiyi, so they didn't notice the commotion. Qin Shu was startled by the noise and quickly put down the clothes he was holding to light a lamp for her, anxiously asking if she had bumped into anything.

"It's nothing, it's nothing~" Liu Qingtang waved her hand dismissively, and casually picked up the chair that she had bumped into. She rummaged through the cabinets and actually found some noodles and a few eggs. "I told you I had some. Here, Qin Shu, go start a fire."

When Qin Shu was a child, he had to do a lot of chores at his uncle's house. Later, when he worked in the imperial kitchen, he naturally knew how to start a fire. After quickly getting the fire going, he looked at the Empress Dowager busy at the stove and couldn't help but speak up with concern, "Perhaps we should let her do it?" What if the Empress Dowager gets burned? Moreover, although he was very happy that the Empress Dowager was willing to do these things for him, he felt that it was a waste for her to do such things. She was supposed to be a precious person who never lifted a finger.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingtang glanced at Qin Shu. To avoid soiling his red clothes, he sat hunched over on a small stool in front of the stove, the firelight reflecting off his garments and giving his face a flush. His focused, earnest, and worried gaze was so endearing that it was truly captivating. Liu Qingtang then spoke to him in a coaxing tone, "Just sit there and watch the fire, then wait to eat your noodles."

Seeing that the Empress Dowager had no intention of changing her mind, Qin Shu could only sit there and watch the fire as instructed, but his eyes remained fixed on her.

The water had barely been poured into the pot and hadn't even boiled yet when Liu Qingtang grabbed a handful of noodles and threw them in. Then, after a moment's thought, she cracked an egg into the pot and vigorously stirred it with a spatula. Feeling it was almost ready, she went to the side to examine the dozens of bottles and jars containing seasonings. Opening the lids and smelling them, she found them all quite fragrant and began adding them to the pot one by one.

Ever since she cooked longevity noodles for Qin Shu's birthday last time, only to find they tasted awful, she made a special trip to the kitchen to observe how the cook made the noodles and even memorized the steps just in case. Therefore, Liu Qingtang was very confident this time. She had been intelligent since childhood, learning everything quickly—reading, writing, painting, and even playing musical instruments—she was incredibly talented and quick to grasp concepts.

However, cooking and needlework are probably the only two things Liu Qingtang can't do well no matter what, but unfortunately she hasn't realized it yet.

Qin Shu watched Liu Qingtang's series of actions without saying a word, only looking at her busy at the stove with extremely tender and affectionate eyes, as if the noodles that he could only imagine smelling terrible were not meant for him.

In fact, Qin Shu was no longer able to see how Liu Qingtang was cooking the noodles, let alone remind her if she was doing it right. He was mesmerized by Liu Qingtang's movements as she spooned in the seasonings, and he secretly pressed his hand to his chest, thinking that this was the warm and satisfying feeling of his beloved cooking for him.

"Huh? How did it turn into mush?" Liu Qingtang stared at the pot, completely puzzled. Finally, she clapped her hands to comfort herself, "At least it didn't boil dry or burn. I put in so many seasonings, it should taste pretty good." Nodding in deep agreement, Liu Qingtang waved to Qin Shu, who had been staring at her blankly for a while, "Qin Shu, come and eat some noodles."

While Qin Shu ate his noodles, there wasn't a trace of anything unusual on his face. When Liu Qingtang asked if it was good, he only nodded and said it was delicious. If he wanted to pretend, Liu Qingtang really couldn't tell whether he was telling the truth or not. So she rolled her eyes and reached out to him, "Let me have a bite too."

Qin Shu paused in his movements, shook his head, and said, "I'm hungry. I can finish these by myself." Then he ate the noodles... and his movements became even faster.

If the taste was alright, Qin Shu wouldn't have refused her request to try a bite, so there was no need to ask. Liu Qingtang slumped onto the table, looking at Qin Shu with a somewhat dejected expression. "It's awful? I followed the steps exactly: water first, then noodles, then the egg. I don't think I added any oil? But I also added so much seasoning, why is it still so bad?"

"No, it's really delicious!" After saying this, Qin Shu took two big bites to show that he wasn't lying, and then he chewed on the eggshell. He chewed it up and swallowed it without showing any sign of discomfort, and repeated, "It's really not bad." Even though the flavor of the noodles was so strong that it tasted like raw salt, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce, he enjoyed it immensely.

Liu Qingtang looked at him suspiciously, "Really?"

Before Qin Shu could nod, Liu Qingtang leaned over and kissed his lips, then put her tongue into his mouth and sucked on it.

"Ugh, the smell is so strong!" Liu Qingtang frowned and pulled Qin Shu aside to rinse his mouth, then poured out the bowl of noodles. "How can you eat this?" After saying that, seeing that Qin Shu was still looking at the noodles that had been thrown away with a reluctant expression, Liu Qingtang really didn't know what to say.

She was the one who wanted to cook noodles, but after all that work, Qin Shu still hadn't gotten to eat. Liu Qingtang looked a little embarrassed and finally, hooking her arm around Qin Shu's, said dejectedly, "We can't eat noodles, let's go get some snacks instead."

Qin Shu felt sorry for the Empress Dowager when he saw her looking so listless, and immediately said, "I can cook noodles too, I'll cook some right away, okay?" Since the Empress Dowager wanted him to eat noodles, he had to eat them no matter what.

"Huh? You can?" Liu Qingtang looked at Qin Shu in surprise. Only later did she realize that Qin Shu not only knew how, but was very good at it. In no time, he brought two bowls of noodles, which looked and smelled delicious, to the table. "It's been a while since I made this, so it might not taste very good, but have a little bit."

Liu Qingtang wasn't hungry after dinner, but she was curious about what kind of noodles Qin Shu could make, so she picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. The seemingly simple noodles were surprisingly delicious, and before she knew it, she had finished the whole bowl. Looking at the empty bowl, hugging her slightly protruding stomach, Liu Qingtang felt a little resentful. They made the same thing, so why was there such a big difference?

"Want some more? Shall I cook some more?" Qin Shu looked at the empty bowl in front of the Empress Dowager and was as happy as if he had found a box of silver.

"Feel it yourself, are you trying to stuff yourself to death?" Liu Qingtang pouted and simply pulled Qin Shu's hand to her stomach. "You ate too much and your stomach hurts. Qin Shu, carry me outside for a walk to help with digestion." Liu Qingtang said it as if it were a matter of course, and Qin Shu didn't think anything was wrong. Without saying a word, he squatted down in front of her.

Liu Qingtang was just joking; there's no such thing as being carried to aid digestion—that wouldn't work. However, she forgot Qin Shu's tendency to take everything she said seriously, so she slowly climbed onto him and let him carry her.

Qin Shu carried Liu Qingtang across the winding covered bridge in the quiet of the night.

Qin Shu's shoulders weren't broad; in fact, he looked rather thin and bony, and leaning against him felt uncomfortable, as his shoulder blades seemed to dig into your skin. But he walked very steadily, which made you feel at ease. Liu Qingtang squinted as she lay on his back, and the rhythmic swaying almost made her fall asleep comfortably.

A breeze blowing from the mountains across the lake carried the scent of lotus blossoms, instantly clearing Liu Qingtang's groggy mind. She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and tapped Qin Shu's cheek. "Alright, put him down. Didn't we say you were going to change into your wedding dress for the ceremony? You should go now."

Qin Shu carefully put her down and first looked at her stomach, "Do you still feel full?"

"It's alright now. But you're all sweaty, aren't you tired?" Liu Qingtang wiped his face with her sleeve, somewhat regretting that she had made him carry her.

"Not tired." Qin Shu shook his head.

"Since you're not tired, how about Qin Shu helps you change into your wedding dress?"

Author's Note: 15452821 threw a landmine.

Hyori threw a grenade

The little bee threw a landmine

You Jinyu threw a landmine

You Jinyu threw a landmine

Halfway through, a landmine was thrown.

Tu Ran, in a fit of madness, threw a landmine.

A landmine was thrown in the aftermath of the incident.

A landmine was thrown in the aftermath of the incident.

[Thanks to all the girls for the landmines~ By the way, I noticed that many of the girls who threw landmines didn't leave any comments. Is this a sign that they secretly love me? _(:3∠)_]